Underwater photographer Daan Verhoeven specializes in capturing freedivers exploring the boundaries of human potential as they drop into the deep and return on single breath. Under the surface, it’s a quiet, meditative journey freedivers go on and Daan is one of the foremost photographers at bringing this beautiful essence of the sport to the world. We’re proud to announce Daan is taking over the @suuntodive Instagram account starting Monday, April 25. He is documenting the Suunto Vertical Blue 2016 freediving competition in the Bahamas and will share images and stories to give us an inside view. Get to know Daan and make sure to follow @suuntodive this week. It’ll be beautiful and exciting! Daan Verhoeven's underwater selfie Who is Daan Verhoeven? I'm an underwater photographer and freedive instructor from the Netherlands, living in the UK. Where do you dive? Wherever there is water! I've freedived in tiny pools, medium rivers, big lakes, huge oceans, in a fjord in Sweden, in holes in Dahab and Bahamas. Now that I've moved to Cornwall, I dive a lot there, in beautiful gullies and with fantastic kelp and seals and sharks. What is it about the underwater world that inspires you? The freedom and diversity. I love the sensation of being free of gravity, exploring subjects much more three-dimensionally. And the diversity, as in the countless shades of blue and green and yellow water can become, the wild abundance of fish and creatures that live there, and how people from babies to geriatrics can play in water. Daan Verhoeven's view of Stig Pryds during Vertical Blue training earlier this week. How would you describe your photography style? Wet, mostly. My father was a philosopher and said a wonderful thing about style: "Style is a voluntary restriction of available means." So I chose to photograph while freediving – that's already a restriction that influences my style. I think I frame in a fairly classical way. I like clean compositions with strong leading lines. And I edit to bring back skin colors, which is actually not something you really see at depth, so there's a hyper-reality to it. So wet, classical, hyper-realism?   Is there a story you wish to tell with your images? One of the things I love about freediving is how it shows people their aquatic potential – with a bit of knowledge and instruction suddenly they can do things they never thought possible. It's not just the realm of some super humans – humans ARE super. With my photography I like to celebrate the beauty and the joy of people in water, and document the grace and poetry of freediving.   Follow @SuuntoDive and @daanverhoevenfreediver to see more of Daan’s work. Check out also daanverhoeven.com and go dive with him at Aqua City Freediving All images: ©Daan Verhoeven MORE TO READ FREEDIVERS READY TO TAKE THE PLUNGE AT SUUNTO VERTICAL BLUE 2016 BRAD HOLLAND TAKES OVER @SUUNTODIVE FOR A WEEK COMPETITION FREEDIVING: THE SECRET TO DOING WELL

36 freedivers from 20 countries are preparing for Vertical Blue 2016, the elite freediving competition held at the world’s deepest blue hole in the Bahamas. It starts on April 22 and runs for 11 days. Get a view from the inside here. Dean's Blue Hole has a depth of 202 m. © samovidic.com/ zooom.at On the white sandy shores surrounding the deep, still waters of Dean’s Blue Hole waves of activity come and go. Under the warm tropical sun, freedivers, competition judges, safety staff, photographers, media and organizers are preparing for Suunto Vertical Blue 2016, the most important depth diving competition of the year. The athletes are putting the finishing touches on their training, or resting up and preparing their bodies with yoga and relaxation exercises. Diving down into the murky depths on a single breath requires total relaxation, which is more difficult to maintain under competition conditions. Click here to learn about the different disciplines of competition freediving Spectators look on as the competition gets underway. © samovidic.com/ zooom.at Safety staff are busy finalizing protocols. Organisers are testing underwater cameras, including a new underwater drone that will follow each diver down and back again – a world first for a freediving competition. We caught up with some of the players to give you a sneak peak behind the scenes. The world champ William is the first and only person to freedive to 101 m with no assistance. © samovidic.com/ zooom.at Suunto athlete, world champion freediver, and competition host William Trubridge usually wins the top spot, which is more likely this year as his friend and rival Alex Molchanov isn’t competing this year. The competition might still prove challenging for William. “I've had a lot of recent injuries and sickness, so I am still not in top form,” he explains. “I'm treating this more as a warm-up competition for the season, but if I start doing good dives during the 11 days of the event then who knows?”  How deep do they dive? Click for a visual guide! The island yogi Kate runs a freediving and yoga school on an island near Bali. © katemiddletonyoga.com Four weeks ago New Zealand record-holding freediver and yoga teacher Kate Middleton travelled from her tiny island home in Indonesia to tiny Long Island, the home of Dean’s Blue Hole, to focus on training for Vertical Blue 2016. The 27-year-old ocean lover is satisfied with her preparation. “I’ve done all of the training that I can do beforehand,” she says. “Now I will benefit most from staying dry and resting up.” For Kate, the competition is the pinnacle of the world’s freediving competitions. The professional organization, the robust safety system, the media attention and the level of competition make it special, she says. With no individual depth world championship in 2016, Vertical Blue is the most important competition of the year. Read: The secret to freediving – relaxation. Yoga helps freedivers to move fluidly and efficiently. © katemiddletonyoga.com “All the activity is centred around the blue hole,” Kate says. “Pre- dive, most people are very quiet and focused. Post-dive everyone is really social and chatty. Everyone understands each other in that way. There's a lot of respect for where someone is at.” Achieving her personal goals for the competition is one thing, but for Kate one of the main reasons she attends is for the community it offers. “Freediving is a small sport so it’s rare that you're around so many people who have also devoted their life to this and to share something like that you really develop strong friendships quickly. Freediving brings everyone together.” The judges CarlaSue Hanson says its going to be a big 11 days. © Francesca Koe President of AIDA International (Association for the Development of Apnea) CarlaSue Hanson is one of the judges at this year’s competition. To be a judge requires completing a specific AIDA course. Competition organizers pick judges according to their level of experience, something CarlaSue has in spades. “The main responsibility of the judge is to ensure that all requirements of the rules of AIDA International are upheld,” she explains. “Safety is the main concern above all else.” As AIDA president, CarlaSue knows many of the competitors. “It does help to know the divers when tracking the results and also watching for any indications of stress or possible injury. I have a little record in my head about the past dives and it gives me some indication of what I might expect to see.”  Click to learn how to become a freediver!William Trubridge resting before a dive. © samovidic.com/ zooom.at Like Kate, CarlaSue sees Vertical Blue as a prestigious event that attracts the world’s best freedivers. “The unique setting and calm water of the lagoon provide for consistent conditions without excessive wind and current,” she says. “It’s also easier for all of us, as the competition site is so close to the shore so we don’t have to take a boat out to the venue. “It is also one of the only competitions where we have spectators. The other athletes can watch their friends and rivals dive and we also have locals and tourists coming out to cheer and enjoy the competition.” Chief of safety Stephen Keenan runs a freediving school in Dahab, Egypt. © Francesca Koe Competitive freediver and freediving instructor trainer Stephen Keenan is chief of safety this year. In previous years he has performed the role of platform coordinator so he knows well how to run a tight operation. “My role is crucial to keep things running smoothly and to create a comfortable environment for the athletes to do their best,” he says. Freedivers to watch CarlaSue knows who’s who in the freediving world. She says there’s a lot of talent at this year’s event that she expects to do well. Sayuri Kinoshita, Japan “She won the overall women's gold medal at Vertical Blue 2015 and was also CNF gold medallist at the AIDA World Championship.” Sofia Gomez, Columbia At last year's competition she earned national records in the sport’s three disciplines: FIM, CNF, CWT. Marianna Krupnitskaya, Russia In 2014, Marianna was the world's number one ranked female freediver. Last year she became the Russian national depth champion. Johnny Sunnex, New Zealand Johnny won bronze at the AIDA World Depth Championship in 2013. He served as chief of safety at Vertical Blue 2014. New to Vertical Blue “We have some other athletes that are big names in freediving but are new to Vertical Blue: Aolin Wang and Jessea Lu of China, Italian Homar Leuci, Camilla Jaber from Mexico, Stephane Tourreau from France, American Ashleigh Baird and a local Bahamian Luke Maillis.” CarlaSue expects many national freediving records to fall. At last year's competition 29 national records were broken by 12 freedivers.  Click here to read about last year's results and here to see this year's athletes.

After a big response, we’re pleased to announce the winner of our #DiveWithMe contest – 24-year-old diver Theresa Torp! When she found out she’d won, her currently non-diving friend Anna immediately came to mind. The two have good times ahead! Theresa's dream is to swim with a whale shark. © Theresa Torp#DiveWithMe winner Theresa Torp and her friend Anna Sofie Starup have won an all-paid week-long trip to Atmosphere Resorts & Spa in the Philippines. The resort has a beautiful beachfront location on the island of Negros Oriental near Dumaguete. Anna will have the opportunity to complete a four-day open water diving course at the resort, and join her friend on some incredible dives. We asked Theresa about diving and why she picked Anna to join her. Congratulations! Feeling excited? I can’t wait to experience the Philippines! The country has been at the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember, and who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and experience my first meeting with a whale shark as well!Theresa (left) and Anna (right) will travel to the Philippines this summer. © Theresa TorpSo, who is Theresa Torp? I’m an occupational-therapy student and live in Denmark. When I’m not studying, I’m working my ass off as a sales assistant to save money for scuba diving and exploring the world whenever school “lets us off the hook”. When did your journey as a diver begin? Four years ago while travelling in Brazil I met the most amazing and inspiring people; a marine-biologist and a dive-instructor who didn’t consider scuba diving as just a hobby, but as a whole lifestyle and a big part of who they are. I was extremely fascinated about their way of living, and I’m pretty sure they’re the reason that scuba diving has become such a big part of who I am today.© Ulrika Kroon / Atmosphere Resorts & SpaYour most incredible dive experiences? Every dive has it’s own story and it’s own memories, but some of my most memorable have been exploring the Cancún Underwater Museum, playing chicken with a huge and scary tiger shark at Cocos Island, rubbing a playful manatee’s belly in Crystal River, exploring enormous shipwrecks at Key Largo and kissing dolphins in the Bahamas. My greatest dream come true was diving side by side with hundreds of schooling hammerhead sharks at Cocos Island, about 550 km from the shore of Costa Rica. © Bo Mancao Who is the lucky friend joining you? I met Anna Sofie at the first day of high school and we quickly became inseparable! A couple of years ago she moved to the other side of the country, but we stay in-touch and I still consider her as one of my dearest friends. When I heard about this amazing #DiveWithMe competition, she was the first and only person who crossed my mind! Not only will we get an opportunity to catch up in the most magical setting, I will introduce her to scuba diving, my biggest obsession. Even though I’ve experienced a lot of incredible dives, I’m certain that nothing could ever be compared to sharing it with her! © Bo Mancao What would you like to show her underwater? That’s a difficult question as I’m looking forward to show her everything the ocean has to offer! I’m also really looking forward to show her the stunningly beautiful colours of the Coral Triangle and who knows, maybe I will get to share my first meeting with a whale shark with her – that would be a big dream come true. Is she excited about the trip and learning to dive? I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen her more excited! Anna is one of the most joyful and adventurous people I’ve ever known and I’m sure that she’ll turn out to be an amazing scuba diver and dive buddy. Just as I’m sure that this trip to the Philippines will turn out to be an adventure of a lifetime!Lead image: © Ulrika Kroon / Atmosphere Resorts & Spa

For divers, nothing quite beats the experience of a wreck slowly coming into view as you descend into the deep. There is a sense of wonder at the fallen grace of a once great ship, and a feeling of awe at the loss of life. They are also often fantastic dive locations, having evolved into artificial reefs, attracting abundant sea life. Here are seven of the best. U.S.S. Kittiwake, Grand Cayman Great for: wreck rookies One of the most popular and accessible wreck dives around the world, the 76.6m long Kittiwake was purpose sunk off Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach just a few years ago. It’s also been stripped clean of hazards such as doors and hatches. All five levels of the ship can be penetrated, depending on the certification you have. Rainbow Warrior, New ZealandGreat for: Politically motivated divers When French secret agents sunk the Greenpeace vessel in Auckland harbor in 1985, it caused a huge political scandal. Two years later the ship was scuttled at Matauri Bay in the Cavalli Islands to serve as a dive wreck and artificial reef to promote marine life. At a max depth of 26 m the Warrior is now home to a huge variety of aquatic life and is a world renowned dive site. Bell Island, NewfoundlandGreat for: Adventurous divers Bell Island is one of the few locations in North America that was under attack by German forces during the Second World War. In 1942, U-boats raided the island twice, sinking four iron ore carriers and destroying a loading wharf, killing more than 60 men. “Today, divers visiting Newfoundland’s rich waters can dive these remarkable wrecks that have transformed into stunning and colorful reef structures,” says underwater explorer and Suunto ambassador Jill Heinerth. Check out the video she created here: ‘Badewanne’, Gulf of FinlandGreat for: Undiscovered wrecks Numerous wrecks lay on the Gulf of Finland’s sea bed, from 17th century merchant ships to battleships and submarines from the first and second world wars. During the latter, German sailors dubbed the Gulf of Finland ‘badewanne’ or bathtub. Today it’s the name of a team of Finnish explorers, scientists and historians dedicated to finding and preserving lost wrecks such as Torpedoboot T18. But if you’re hoping to dive there yourself, bad news: the team does not release the site locations to preserve their integrity. Chepstow, EnglandGreat for: Underwater attractions How can a lake on the border between England and Wales be home to a great bucket-list wreck dive? That was our question too. But after watching the video below from freediver Daan Verhoeven diving through a sunken plane, we think you’ll also want to add this venue to your list. The lake is home to a number of attractions, including a Landrover, Royal Navy Wessex Helicopter Mk3 and a British Aerospace Jetstream 200. There’s also a gnome garden if you’re into that. HMS Hermes, Sri Lanka Great for: Sea life Lying at a depth of 53m off Sri Lanka’s east coast is the Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes, the first ship to be designed as an aircraft carrier. It’s a unique dive. She lies on her port side with many features still intact, including her tower and thanks to clear visibility you can also expect to see large tuna, grouper and jacks. Watch a video of a dive here: The Yongala, Australia Great for: Visibility, sea life and features At 109m, the Yongala is Australia’s largest and most intact historic shipwreck and offers incredible diving within the world heritage Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. She sank off the coast of Queensland during a cyclone in 1911, killing 122 people, a racehorse called Moonshine and a red Lincolnshire bull. With no telegraph facilities, she could not be forewarned of a storm. Expect to see abundant sea life including manta rays, sea snakes, octopuses, turtles, bull sharks, tiger sharks, and of course, some beautiful coral. Lead image: This photo, “USS Kittiwake”, is copyright (c) 2013 to KatieThebeau and made available under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 license.

So, you’ve been diving for a while now and have noticed that you’re itching for something new or more challenging – that’s a sign it’s time to take your diving to the next level. We talk to 25-year-old technical diver Gemma Smith – the first woman to dive the ancient Antikythera shipwreck – about how to step up your diving. © Nina Baxa Before Gemma Smith started diving when she was 17 she’d been into a number of extreme sports. “Then I discovered scuba diving, and that was that!” she says. We caught up with her a day before she set off on an intense three months of diving, including cave diving in Florida, mine diving in Newfoundland and shark diving in the Bahamas. Here are her 7 pointers for how to take your diving to the next level. It’s not just about depth or difficulty Even though I'm known as a technical and re-breather diver some of my best dives have been on a single tank and in 10 m of water! Diving with silversides in Grand Cayman was truly out of this world, yet I never went below a few meters. Having said that, cave diving is where my heart is. When you're on a re-breather 2 km into a cave, gliding along on a DPV (diver propulsion vehicle), I'm not sure anything can top that. “Some of my best dives have been on a single tank and in 10 m of water!” Build your motivation One of the things I like most about diving is there’s always something new you can challenge yourself with. As long as you have the motivation and dedication to pursue different avenues and try new things, you'll never get bored and never feel like you're not improving. © Nina Baxa Patience and hard work are mandatory The first thing to remember is to be patient. Taking your diving to the next level won't come quickly, it won't be easy, but it will totally be worth it. You've got to be prepared to give up a lot, and to work hard. © J. Dan Wright It’s all about the people You will also need to make the effort to meet people. The diving world is really small, and – especially with the expedition scene – it helps if you know the guys involved. You need to try to stand out, and that requires effort. Spend the money and train with the best people out there. I've trained with some truly amazing instructors; Martin Robson, Rich Walker, Paul Toomer, Ian France. The things I learned from them have allowed me to take my diving to the next level. “Spend the money and go to train with the best people out there.” Change in outlook Changing how you see your diving is really important if you want to take it further. I love my diving, and I'm so glad I've chosen it as my career, but nonetheless it's my job, and I treat it as such. I don't see it as my hobby. © J. Dan Wright Make an investment You also need to realise that if you want to advance your diving it will require a big investment, both financially and in terms of time. I always compare it to university. I chose not to go, but I've invested the same time and money in diving. You need that mind-set I think if you want to succeed. “I always compare it to university. I've invested the same time and money in diving.” Practice, practice, practice Practice. On every single dive you need to practice skills, preferably two. So many people do courses, and then never practice any of the skills they learned. Have fun, enjoy it, but take it seriously. It's the only way to improve.© J. Dan Wright

Photographer and full-time traveller Brad Holland takes over and hosts Suunto’s @suuntodive Instagram account for a week starting today. Follow and enjoy Brad's photography! “I am happiest when I don’t know what day it is, what time zone I am in or how long I’ll be there. Home is where my gear is... which stays in world tour status from the West Pacific to Mexico, the Middle East and Africa with work bases in Yap, Micronesia and Central America,” says the photographer who originally comes from Los Angeles, California. Brad shoots a Canon 7D MkII and Ikelite Underwater Systems combination and favors his wide-angle lenses. His photographic missions include telling people about Yap, a small island state in the Pacific that nobody knows about, supporting local marine research and conservation projects as well as a volunteering on a typhoon disaster relief operation in the remote outer islands of Yap State. “Everything else falls under good times and living in the moment,” Brad declares. Brad can be found leading photo dives at the Manta Ray Bay Resort, shooting the local culture in Yap or on travel adventure somewhere in the world throughout the year. @bradlifestyle will be taking over @suuntodive Instagram account for a week starting April 5th. Follow and enjoy Brad's photography!